Hindcast and Near Real-Time Monitoring of Green Macroalgae Blooms in Shallow Coral Reef Lagoons Using Sentinel-2: A New-Caledonia Case Study

Sentinel-2 satellite data proves effective for monitoring and hindcasting green macroalgae blooms in shallow coral reef lagoons, as demonstrated in a New Caledonia case study. The research found that spectral indices using blue and green bands, when paired with field observations, explained up to 64.9% of algal abundance variance, depending on seabed composition and data correction methods. Supervised image segmentation accurately captured two significant Ulva blooms in 2018, showcasing the potential of Sentinel-2 for real-time and historical monitoring of these nuisance events.

Brisset, M., Van Wynsberge, S., Andréfouët, S., Payri, C., Soulard, B., Bourassin, E., Gendre, R. L., & Coutures, E. (2021). Hindcast and Near Real-Time Monitoring of Green Macroalgae Blooms in Shallow Coral Reef Lagoons Using Sentinel-2: A New-Caledonia Case Study. Remote Sensing, 13(2), 211. https://doi.org/10.3390/rs13020211